Maine

Maine is one of the fifty states of the United States, located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state is the northermost contiguous state (Alaska is the northernmost US state not touching the mainland), bordering Canada to the north, New Hampshire to the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean and east. Maine was colonized in 1652 as a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, remaining a part of Massachusetts until 15 March 1820, when the Great Compromise allowed Maine to become a free state. Its capital of Augusta is the third least-populous state capital with a population of 19,136, and much of the state is wilderness. Maine is known for its mountains, forests, and waterways, in addition to its crab and lobster cuisine. In 2015, the state had a population of 1,329,328, with 95.2% being whites, 1.2% African-Americans, 1% Asians, .6% Native Americans, .3% others, and 1.6% multiracial. 23.9% are of French descent, 21.6% English, 17.8% Irish, 8.5% Germans, 5.8% Italians, 5.5% Scots, 2.1% Polish, 1.8% Swedish, and 1.7% Scots-Irish, with 9.4% identifying only as "Americans". 28% of the population is Catholic, 11% Protestant, 1.7% other religions, and 59.3% nonreligious.